Triumph of Friendship
by bjshaw
Summary: In their fifth year of Hogwarts, Ron is the first to realized his friends and family are in grave danger. He acts as only a true friend could. Bittersweet. HP/HG


In the middle of the night, the lanky figure of Ron Weasley crept to the room of requirements. As he entered he saw that someone else was already there. The room was set up like a tea room, complete with two chairs and lighting. In a voice that sounded little like his own he began. He could still hear the echoes of Harry's nightmares in his mind from the death of Cedric Diggory. Resolutely, he approached the one he wanted as his ally.

"I want you to help me kill someone," his eyes were surprisingly steady. His companion looked up at him, still standing awkwardly in that way he had of always looking uncomfortable.

"Why," his companion's voice held bitter resignation, expected under the circumstances.

"Because we both want revenge, and I know how to get it. You are very smart and I need help with the spell work. It involves human sacrifice." There, he had put it out there. If his companion ran screaming from the room and told Dumbledore he was finished. But he didn't think they would. The pause was long as he held out a book.

Slowly, without even looking at what he held, his companion gently pulled it out of his hands. The thin book was about only one topic, and death was a prominent factor on each page. Quickly skimming the larger lettering on various pages, they finally responded to the not quite asked question.

"I will help you. Harry will kill you if he finds out you know." Ron looked completely unbothered by the statement.

"What about Hermione? She will figure this out before the plan can be executed."

Ron looked up at his new ally, "she always expects certain things from me. I know how to push her off track. It is pretty easy, actually. They both jump to conclusions, just in different areas. Harry will never believe I would jump into such dangerous magic alone, and Hermione will think that I am not smart enough, one of the reasons I need you is that they both are right."

"They know you, are you that good of an actor to fool them? This could take most of a year to complete, you know. They are going to see something coming."

"Trust me, this is war. They aren't going to see this coming." Ron smiled and for a minute and his new ally thought he looked almost beatific with the light on his face and his thoughts on a goal that could change the world.

Ron was surprised when his new ally rose with a nod, then gave him a quick hug. He returned the companionable affection for a moment and turned to leave.

"I will start getting the necessities. Next month we can begin the spell work. I have some friendships to sabotage."

The next morning in the common room Ron was, surprisingly, down before Harry. Hermione came down looking like she was ready to take the world by storm.

"You look nice," Ron muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

The shocked look on her face almost made him laugh. He had never, ever complimented her looks before. He jumped to his feet and strode over to her, invading her space and gently holding her shoulders in each hand. "I really liked how you looked in your ball gown last year," his voice was husky.

"Ron, I don't normally look like that," she tried to pull back but he was much stronger.

"You looked really good in the gown is all." Ron smirked at her and in intimate tones added, "I bet you'll look even better out of it." His implication was so startling that Hermione just froze for a second. Just then Harry came down, ready to go get some breakfast.

"Hey Ron, Hermione," he began just before Hermione reached back and slapped Ron with all she had. Harry gawked as Ron had no significant reaction, but just stepped away from her and looked up at Harry, a red hand print clearly showing on his cheek.

"Ron," Harry said dangerously. He couldn't imagine what Ron had said or done, but Hermione did not hit someone like that without good reason. He felt some of his control slipping.

"Breakfast?" Ron grinned goofily, not bothering to answer Harry's unasked question.

"What just happened?" Simultaneously, the lights in the room flickered and in the headmaster's office one sensor, trained on Harry Potter, went red then shattered.

Hermione still was doing her goldfish imitation, not quite figuring out what was going on.

"Harry, I guess your best girl lied to us at the Yule Ball." Ron's rejoinder caught them both off-guard again.

"What," they both yelled in together.

"You said you thought we should notice you as a girl, but when I do you get mad. I mean you have the assets and I am just saying I like them," Ron finished with a slight leer and turned away, "gonna go eat," he said then walked out the door.

Harry looked over at Hermione, afraid she was about to break and put an arm gently around her shoulder and steered her toward the door.

"Alright Hermione?" his voice held deep concern.

"I knew he could be a prat, but…" she held her comment, not wanting to see what would happen if Harry had heard the entire conversation. He was quite protective of her, even when she didn't need it. She was surprised at how safe she felt with him there for a moment, then his arm slipped off and they went downstairs. Ron's behavior had hurt her more than she expected.

Down at breakfast, Ron was eating and didn't seem bothered by the questions from the others about who had slapped him. It only took a few minutes for the more observant to figure it out because Harry and Hermione sat some distance from Ron at the table. They kept their distance most of the day.

That evening during dinner Ron walked over and plopped right next to Hermione, ignoring her nervous expression. He started stuffing food in his mouth as usual, but right in the middle of dinner he deliberately reached over and took a drink out of Hermione's glass of pumpkin juice.

"Ron!" Hermione used her attention getting tone that always made them cringe. "Leave my food alone."

"Just like sharing Hermione," he answered calmly, "figured it would just be build up for snogging later, sweetie." He abruptly got up but then ran a hand gently down her hair and along her back slightly, ignoring her wince and shudder.

"Want to take a walk, Hermione?" He said suggestively.

"No Ronald, I have homework to do, and so do you." Her voice was quiet and slightly cold.

"Well, we can find a nice quiet place to study then," he smiled, waiting for her answer.

"I think I will go to the library." Madam Pince was notoriously strict. Nothing to untoward ever happened in the library.

Harry unhappily had to go to his detention with Umbridge. He was worried about Ron's behavior, and also a little about Hermione's safety. Being a teenage boy, he knew what would happen if Ron totally lost control of himself.

It took a month of similar behavior before Harry and Hermione no longer sat or talked with Ron.

"Partner, how is the reading coming?" Ron's red hair seemed out of place in the dark seeming atmosphere of their meeting room.

"It is progressing better than I expected, I think we can be done before end of term, possibly by two months."

"One more thing, you know the kind of sacrifices that this will take, right?" He nodded grimly. "Then I think we should find a way to counteract those sacrifices."

"That isn't possible, I mean I know you are smarter than me, but there can't be a way to …" He was stopped by a sudden look from his only confidant.

"I know you are trying to do something that has never been done before, Ron. I just think that you shouldn't be completely alone to do it."

Ron's face was a study in thought.

"I know some consider me fairly pretty," she added, closing the distance between them.

"But, you don't even like me." His protest was almost overridden by his desire for the beautiful woman in front on him.

"Ron, if you want, I think we can comfort each other for awhile, until this project is complete of course. Don't you think I am good enough for you?"

Ron swallowed hard. "Of course you are and you already know that. We can see if it makes you feel better, but I don't want to push you. You are already helping a lot."

"Sit down next to me and we'll talk about it." Ron sat and the next hour was spent doing little other that finding out that the attention of a beautiful woman very much made him feel better.

From that day, Ron seemed like he usually was, Harry and Hermione were still somewhat distant, but he looked at how close they sat together and smiled to himself. Things were going to work out.

"Harry," Hermione caught up to him, his hurried strides making her run.

"Where are you going?" She was afraid she knew, but asked anyway.

"Hermione?" He looked over at her, seeing her nervousness about how he was coping. He plunged ahead, saying what he was actually thinking for a change.

"What do you think of me?" His question was spoken with little of the fear he actually felt about the subject.

"You are my best friend." Hermione said simply.

"Have you ever considered whether we could be closer that just best friends?" His voice had quieted to almost a whisper.

"But you don't, I mean you can't…" Hermione sputtered for a second before he grimaced at her.

"Hermione," his voice crackled and the hallway shuddered just a bit from excessive magic, "the next words our of your mouth had better be about you and how you feel and not about your belief that you have me completely figured out."

"But I…" his glare transfixed her and she couldn't move for a second.

"I like you Harry," she said quietly. Knowing that it wasn't enough to reveal anything and that the Harry she knew would never be satisfied with that answer.

"Potter," the shrill sound of Umbrige's voice came crackling down the hall.

"Later Miss Granger," Harry said quietly and went to his torturous detention with a small smile.

For some reason the conversation didn't get back to the topic of what Hermione meant about liking Harry. Days later, the nightmares start again. Finally, Harry is convinced that Sirius is being held captive.

"Ron, we have to get into Umbridge's office to flue to the ministry. Where's Hermione, we need a plan." Ron's hollow eyes looked at Harry and he did the last thing expected. He hit Harry with everything he had.

Stunned for a second, Harry didn't have time to focus his wand on Ron before a quiet voice behind him said "Petrificus totalis."

"Let's get him inside with Hermione."

Ron manhandled Harry's body into the room of requirement, noticing that everything was setup. He lay his friend on the table right next to Hermione.

"Here let me take their wands too. We just have room for the cloak and wands." Ron's partner in crime said. Putting the wands with a few small pieces of cloth in a specially made chest.

Ron walked up and kissed Harry on the forehead, then Hermione. "This is the best I can do, friends." His voice was heavy with loss.

"Go ahead and cast it, we are running out of time."

In just a few minutes the room grew hot, none of the occupants noticed however as the pretty brunette struggled with magics years beyond her normal strength while Ron started to feel a ripping at his very soul. For a few moments he could not react then, with all his remaining strength he subdued the pain and began to chant.

"The friend in need will get their due,

A gift of strength and life.

I offer all I have, to you

My soul I pledge its due."

Reaching out, his entire being in pain, he touched both of their foreheads then fell, and was caught in an incandescent fire that consumed him to ashes. Still holding on at the far end of the room, a final cast of the spell she had been working on for half a year, the brunette girl said, "it is finished," and was tossed unceremoniously through the door behind her into the hallway and just stayed conscious enough to see the door disappear. Her spell was done and so was she. She hoped it had worked.

Harry was the first to awaken, the light was too bright to see, so he tried to shield his eyes, but realized that he was bathed in a fire hotter than his wildest dreams.

As he was just about to lose his mind he heard a scream next to him. Recognizing the source he forced himself upright, still unable to see anything, but wanting to reassure his friend that he was there at least. Finally feeling her there, he tried to gather her into his arms, realizing that they were both on the floor.

The painful heat slowly lessened and the light dimmed. His sense of hearing came back fully, listening to quiet sniffs from Hermione, he still held her in his arms, thinking it felt much closer to her than he had ever been in his life. Their skin still glowed almost but the room was now becoming dim enough for them to see. Finally looking at his best friend he realized just how much she meant to him, then he realized they were both starkers.

They froze for a second before leaping to their feet and searching the room for any covering. The only things there were a pile of ashes and a smoldering box. Harry went over to the box and it popped open. There were two wands and a small handful of cloth.

Their heads still reeling with a sudden change they could not fathom, Harry slowly grabbed the wands and handed Hermione hers, which she grabbed purely on reflex. He then pulled out a small handful of white silk, which proved to be just long enough for a nightshirt for Hermione. Next to it were some white silk boxers. Both were quite thin. Finally there was his Invisibility cloak. He looked over at Hermione, now nominally dressed, still not understanding what happened.

He could feel his magic running rampant without control. He looked back at his best friend but stomped his foot in frustration. The magic flew from him like a wind briefly flashing him as Hermione's short shift flew up a second.

"Harry," he had expected her to be angry. Her privacy and modesty had been completely compromised and she probably had no idea what had just happened any more than he did. "Is your magic raging as much as mine?" She completed her question.

"I can hardly control it Hermione." He looked at her and thought she had never looked so beautiful before. Then his gaze went to the darkness on the floor. He beckoned her forward, still feeling the nearness they had shared moments ago. She frowned slightly, but snuggled a little closer when he stepped over and put one arm around her waist turning her toward the ashes on the floor. They were in the exact pattern of a human body.

"Oh," was the only word she said. "Do you think it was an accident? I was just in the corridor and heard something and I woke up in pain."

"No," he answered, remembered the resolute look he had seen just before he was put out. It wasn't an accident." He took the box and was going to cast a cleaning spell to put the ashes into it when they just floated into the chest. He snapped it shut.

"Now what." They noticed that the room had been giving off ambient light the entire time, but suddenly it started to fail.

"Lumos," he said, nearly blinding them again with his spell.

"Nox," he offered, then tried again, thinking of just a small candle. "Lumos," his voice was quiet. A bright, but usable light shone from his wand.

"It will take some time to get used to, but we can adapt. How about you."

Noticing what he had done she also tried the spell. Again it was far too bright. After a few more attempts she managed to find a way to back down on her power.

"How did this happen? I have never been that strong before." Her voice held awe as she realized what they may have become.

"I think it was about the whole thing here, a ritual or something." He surmised, deep in his heart, but hoped he was wrong.

"We have to get back to our rooms." Hermione was starting to be practical. It had been late when they were ambushed, it must be well past curfew now.

"Let's see if we can sneak back. We still have the cloak." They both tucked under the cloak, feeling the closeness more than at other times.

Slowly they exited the room of requirement, noticing the blood marks on the floor, but not seeing anyone there. Surprisingly they saw no one before they managed to get to their rooms. Both completely exhausted they fell asleep almost instantly.

Had anyone looked into the headmaster's office, they would have seen that all of the Harry Potter monitoring equipment now read 'dead.'

In the morning several things happened at once. Harry woke up and quickly dressed in his secondary robes, then looked around the room.

"Where's Ron?" He asked. No one had seen him. He looked and it appeared that he hadn't been in his bed. With a sinking feeling in his gut, he looked at the small box of ashes on the end table. He locked it with quick locking spell the put a notice-me-not on it besides.

His stomach grumbled, he was starved. Quickly getting his books for classes, he went to the common room and waited for Hermione. She arrived in just a minute, her hair was more controlled than normal and there was a sparkle in her eyes. She didn't look tired a bit.

"Alright there Hermione?" he used his stock phrase.

"Never better," she blushed just slightly as she said it, making him wonder.

"I'm starving," they both said almost together, then turned and headed for the great hall and breakfast. Neither noticed when their hands met and they interlaced their fingers.

The bustle of the great hall had a sense of familiarity that helped them both come to terms with how weird they felt. Someone was standing right next to them for a minute before they looked up. It was one of the Ravenclaw quiditch players.

"Have you seen Cho?" She asked with asperity.

"No, why should I have?" Harry answered, honestly perplexed.

"Well, since I know you like her, I thought maybe," the Ravenclaw was having difficulty saying anything without sounding like she was accusing Cho of something untoward.

"I don't see her much except occasionally in the halls with her friends." Harry realized that she had been mostly walking alone lately. "But it seems like her friends aren't around much," he added almost as an afterthought. As the Ravenclaw turned on her heel and left she almost ran over Luna who was standing right behind her.

"Did you know that certain magics flow from blood alone? If I had been in blood this morning I would probably check with Madam Pomphrey. Continued loss of blood is usually not a good sign for recovery." She smiled a silly smile then skipped back to her table muttering something about pudding.

"You know," Harry said to Hermione, "she may be outside normal, but she is smart."

They both immediately got up and headed to the hospital wing.

"Cho," Harry was concerned. He hadn't resolved his feeling for the pretty Ravenclaw, but he still cared for her somewhat. "How are you? What happened? Do you need anything?"

As he looked at her, he realized that this was barely the same person that he had known last year. She had lost too much weight and her eyes had dark circles under them. There was a distinct aura of sadness that hung over her pulling you into her despair and she also looked completely exhausted.

"What do you think Hermione," he asked as they both were shoed away from Cho's bed. "Did you notice the potion?"

Hermione nodded, surprised that Harry had noticed it. "Do you know what it was for?" she asked, sure he hadn't any idea.

"Nutrition potion for pregnancy," was his somber response. "But what I don't understand is who she was with? She has been going it alone all year, pulling back from everyone. I tried to be nice to her, but it just made her uneasy."

"A lonely girl is the most vulnerable," Hermione said in just more than a whisper. Harry whirled on her in an instant, catching that this wasn't just about Cho.

"Hermione! You never need to be alone. I will be there for you." He initiated a hug, which he rarely did, watching the silent tears roll down her face. He knew she felt too alone sometimes and he understood it. She had been alone too much as a child, something he was intimately familiar with.

As they walked back toward their next class, he kept his arm around her shoulders. "Harry," she said quietly and he turned toward her, still walking unconsciously in step.

"Harry, do you think of me as a girl or as a friend?" Her voice sounded almost normal, like she was asking about lessons of some sort.

"Hermione," he stopped her for a minute, "I don't think either covers it completely. I have never missed the fact that you were a girl. I just have always known that you could find a better man than me for romance. I will do my best to hold down the jealousy. I really want you to be happy and I want your friendship more than anything in the world. I would love for there to be more to us than just close friends, but I can live without it as long as you are happy."

"I don't know anyone better, Harry," she looked up at him and smiled.

"Then will you be my girlfriend?" He blushed slightly when he said it.

"Yes," she rose and kissed him lightly on the lips and they happily walked to class hand in hand.

That night, after talking with Hermione, Harry stole down into the hospital wing.

"Cho, I know you aren't really asleep." She looked over at the voice, realizing that he was still wearing his invisibility cloak.

"You are easier to talk to when you aren't wearing that." Harry pulled the cloak down to his waist, leaving him looking half ghost like in appearance as part of him just seemed float above the floor.

"You were there and know what happened." Harry's voice left no doubt that he knew he was right. He saw tears and something he hadn't expected, hope.

"I did what I could, but Ron had a better idea. Merlin I miss him," she cried quietly. Understanding who Cho was 'with' Harry finally got it.

"So let me get this straight. I am not as smart as Hermione, but… So Ron managed to convince you to help him with a ritual that incinerated him and gave Hermione and I a magical boost." She nodded as he stopped for a minute. "What are you going to do in nine months, Cho?" He deliberately pushed his feeling about Ron's sacrifice back.

The realization that he had figured out her condition shocked her into teary silence.

"How about if I take care of the Weasley's for you. This is hard enough without you having to face Molly."

"It is best if they don't know the reason for the sacrifice, Harry. It would make me even more of a target, but it is for the best in the future. I will say we were working on a power enhancing spell, I have all the details already worked out. You two need to make sure to get the job done. This wasn't just for you two to have a future, but for the rest of his family and the rest of the world to get a chance. Ron just fired biggest spell in the war so far directly at Voldemort, and the snakey prat doesn't even know it yet." She stretched out her hand and laid it on his chest gently for a second, the suddenly her hand reversed and she pulled him forcefully right up to her, face to face.

"Kill him, Harry. Ron was certain you will have to be the one, but when you face Voldemort next time, make sure you are ready and kill the bastard," she spat.

Harry nodded, tears coming to his eyes, and placed the small box of Ronald Weasley next to Cho, who was carrying his child.

The next morning early, Harry heard the headmaster call all of the Weasley's together and then Hermione and him. They were all ushered into a classroom where the headmaster made a speech about the loyalty of Ron and how he was a favorite student and how much they would miss him and everyone cried.

It was just a few months later, when Harry and Hermione were at Diagon Alley that they were ambushed by a few death eaters and Voldemort, bent on their destruction. Not one of their attackers survived, and the world saw that Voldemort died beneath the wands of Harry Potter and his fiancé Hermione Granger. Their acceptance speech later gave credit for the fall of Voldemort to Ronald Weasley, who had given everything to see the dark lord defeated. Many years later, Ronald Chang Weasley became the starting keeper for the Chudley Cannons.


End file.
